The Accused Is Entitled
by FractalRage
Summary: This is my first story, so i hope i don't mess it up too much. It's about my Dunmer assassin, E'hla, and uh.. please just read it, I can't explain xD
1. Chapter 1, Prologue

"You're finally awake." The voice of a male Nord awoke her. She turned her head towards the sound and looked at him for a brief second to gather her thoughts. "Where are we?" She asked and looked around, before she added: "And more importantly, who are you, and why are we here?" The blonde Nord chuckled, "You don't remember anything, do you, Dark elf?" she turned her face back towards him and squinted her eyes at his comment. "If I did remember, I wouldn't have asked, Nord"

She looked down at herself, and sighed over the sight of her wrists bound together. "You were trying to cross the border, and was caught in that Imperial ambush, same as us" He said and turned his face away from her. "I'm Ralof, of Riverwood," The man said and added:" And who are you?"

"I am E'hla," She answered and looked him straight in the eye. She turned her face towards the muffled man beside her, "Who's he?" She asked and turned her face back towards Ralof. He seemed shocked over her question and muttered; "You don't know who that is? He's Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King of Skyrim!"

That muffled man was Ulfric? She couldn't believe it. As she turned her head towards him again their eyes met, and he looked quite surprised to se a grayskin sitting there, right beside him, bound and dressed in rags. "Shut up back there!" the carriage driver shouted at them. "Where are we?" she mumbled and looked back and forth at the two men she shared carriage with. "This is Helgen," Ralof said after a brief look-around. "I used to be sweet on a girl from here." He added as they got through the gates.

"What is going on?" She said, almost whispering, looking around franticly. Ralof looked at her, "What do you think? End of the line." he said and nodded at the other Stormcloak soldiers all lined up for the chopping block. She didn't utter a single word, just looked around at the soldiers, Ulfric and Ralof.

The carriage stopped, and the Imperial Captain said in a loud and clear voice:" Walk over to the block when your name is called!" One by one they walked over to the block, and when E'hla was the only prisoner remaining, a Nord dressed in an Imperial uniform browsed through the list, " Another refugee?" He said, scanning her from top to bottom. "What shall we do Captain, she's not on the list" he said to his Captain. "Forget the list, she goes to the block," The Captain answered. "I'm sorry prisoner, we'll make sure your remains will return to Morrowind." He said and followed her over to the rest of the prisoners.

"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric," The redheaded Nord uttered before the headman's axe descended on his neck, and his head rolled off the block and into the basket. "Next prisoner, the dark elf!" the Captain yelled, but everyone went quite when a loud rumbling sound echoed through the hold. "What was that?" Ralof whispered to himself, but loud enough for E'hla to catch up.

"I said, next prisoner!" The captain repeated, and the Imperial soldier standing beside the block added: "To the block prisoner, nice and easy now." E'hla walked towards the block and looked down at the decapitated man lying before her feet. Her thoughts were racing, but they were brutally ripped apart when a male soldier pushed her back down to the block, and pulled her hair so that her neck would be exposed and ready for the executioner's axe.

Again the rumbling sound rolled through them, only this time it was much closer. "What in Oblivion is that!" an Imperial soldier yelled and pointed franticly at the source of the rumbling. "What are you seeing?" the Captain asked before she turned her head, and uttered a simple: "Dragon!"

E'hla got to her feet, staggered, but alive. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the shape of Ralof. "Come on, Elf, get up and follow me!" he yelled and pushed her with his elbow to get her moving. She obeyed, and stumbled in her own steps as they ran to the inn. "Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?" The blonde Nord asked his Jarl. Ulfric closed the door to the inn, and walked over to a wounded Stormcloak soldier. "Legends don't burn down villages." He said and looked at Ralof. E'hla looked at the two men catching her breath. "Take her with you to the keep," Ulfric ordered and nodded towards E'hla. She looked rather confused for a moment, trying to make out what everyone was saying. Ulfric yelled at his men: "We need to move, now!" Ralof bumped her back and leaned in towards her ear and said:" Up through the tower, lets go!" and nearly pushed her up the steps.

They caught up with the Imperial soldier by the entrance to the Keep, and Ralof and the soldier exchanged some venomous words before Ralof again pushed her in the direction he wanted her to go. "In through that door" He said and lead the way.

They entered the keep, and looked around the room briefly to get an image of their whereabouts. "Looks like we're the only ones who made it." He said and pulled out a dagger. "Come here, let me see if I can get those bindings off." He muttered in a calm voice. E'hla walked over to him and stretched out her arms, which he grabbed in one hand and removed her bindings. "You might as well take Gunjar's gear, he won't be needing it anymore" he said and pointed towards a dead Stormcloak soldier. "Really? You want me to undress a dead man, and wear his armor?" She said and made a grimace. He gave her a sharp look and said:" If you want to run around in rags with a dragon on the loose, fine for me." And shrugged. She gave it all a second thought before she robbed the corpse of everything useful. "You better give that axe a few swings, cause we've got company." He said in a silenced tone and crouched down beside the door. She followed his lead, and kept quiet.

The Captain and one of the Imperial soldiers entered the room with their swords drawn. Before she knew it, Ralof had jumped on one of them, and gave the Captain a couple slashes with his axe, and looked over at the frozen E'hla. In the confusion she had just crouched down between the table and the rocky wall. "Do something, you idiot!" he yelled and fought off the Captain, leaving the other soldier in a bloody pulp.

After checking that both of them were dead, he walked over to E'hla. "What's wrong?" He asked and crouched down beside her. "I can't do this." She whispered, cupping her face with her hands. "Do what?" He asked, and placed one hand on her shoulder. "I .. This is just too much. This should never have happened. I should never have left home." She mumbled to her self. "Don't blame yourself for this." He said, stroking her back with a warm, calming hand. "I won't get out of here alive, and neither will you, unless we stand together:" He said, tilting her head with a hand, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes met his, and he smiled. He rose up and put out a hand to help her up, and said:" Now, let's get out of here."

They made their way through the keep, fighting off other imperial soldiers, and then eventually they entered the damp, dark bowels of the keep. "You could have told me there are frostbite spiders down here" She muttered and plucked out some cobweb from her hair. "How could I? I didn't know until we got here" He said and stopped when they stood before yet another dead end. E'hla sighed and looked around, while Ralof tried to move away the rocks blocking their way. "There's no way we're getting through here," He said and paused. She traced back her own tracks and caught eye on a crack in the rock face surrounding them. "Follow me," She said and squeezed herself through the crack, with Ralof right behind her.

Turned out they had walked right into a frostbite spider nest, and those creepy crawlers now surrounded them. E'hla reached for her axe, and split open the head of one of the smallest spiders in front of her, and in the haste of trying to dodge the fangs of the mother spider she stumbled over a rock, and fell to the ground. Only having time to raise her shield, she tried to take cover behind the circular disc now protecting her from the venomous fangs of several spiders. "Ralof!" She cried out with a voice full of panic and fear. The stout Nord went into a killing spree, and picked up the axe she had dropped when she fell. Now dual wielding the axes he dealt some tremendous damage upon the remaining spiders, which were dead within seconds.

"Are you ok?" he asked and crouched down beside the shaking shield she held in her hands. She peeked out from underneath the rim and looked at him, "Thank you" she said. "I.." She paused, "I'm not to much help, am I?" She asked and rose up, brushing some dirt off of herself and looking at Ralof. He shook his head and said:" No, you're not. But I am starting to sense that you're not much of a swordsman." He reached behind his back and pulled out his long bow and his quiver. "Take it, I believe you'll do far better with this." She smiled at him and placed the quiver on her back, and flexed the bow a couple of times. "Let's get going then," She said with a brief smile on her face and started walking.

The two of them ran through the tight passages, until they came out in a larger cave, and Ralof stopped. "Get down!" He hissed, silenced but loud enough for her to hear him. She did as he said and crouched down behind a old, rotten carriage. "What is it?" She whispered and looked rather confused. "There's a bear just ahead, do you see her?" He said and pointed at the bear, laying a couple of feet in front of them. He took a couple of steps away from the carriage they were hiding behind, and turned towards her, "Are you feeling lucky?" he whispered. She looked at him and smiled, then she took an arrow from her quiver and pulled out the bow. E'hla closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before she stepped out from behind the carriage and took aim. "Ready?" She asked, whispering, and turned to look at him. He nodded, and readied his axe and shield.

A loud roar echoed in the cave when the arrow penetrated the bear's ribs. She readied another arrow, and this time she aimed for it's head. The arrow flew through the air, and hit it's mark with deadly precision. Ralof rose up slowly, amazed over her skills as a marksman. "Well done, Elf" he said and sheathed his weapon. They walked over to the bear together and skinned it. "Do you smell that?" She said and tilted her head towards the smell, and smiled. He tried to focus on the smell, but all he could sense was the skinned bear's flesh and blood. "What is it?" He said and looked at her, "Fresh air, we're getting closer to the exit." She retorted.

She was right. As they walked through the passages, the air got colder, and the wind blew through their hair. "This must be the way out!" She said with a big smile on her face, and started to run towards the opening.


	2. Chapter 2, Bleak Falls Barrow

She had been awake all night, reading every book she could find around the Sleeping Giant inn, looking through every shelf, every chest and every cupboard. It was a night well spent, she told herself. With dawn approaching, she figured she should get some rest before she sought out this Gerdur woman Ralof had been talking about. She curled up on the bed and dozed off. Her bow and quiver rested against the bed frame for easy access.

E'hla packed her stuff, and bought some fresh vegetables and bread from the innkeeper, and made her way to the door. "Ah, it's good to see a sister elf here in Skyrim." His voice broke through her concentration. "Huh?" She said and turned to face the slender wood elf. "I'm Faendal" he said and stood up from the bench and reached out a hand. She smiled and shook his hand, saying:" I'm E'hla, it's nice to meet you, Faendal." After a short pause she asked:" Do you know where I can find Gerdur?" The light-haired elf smiled and said:" She and Hod runs the mill here in Riverwood, so I would look for her there:" E'hla smiled, and gave the elf a brief hug before exiting the inn.

The bosmer was right; Gerdur was at the mill. "You have to get word to Balgruuf the Greater, Jarl of Whiterun" The blonde woman said. E'hla had to admit, she and Ralof looked quite alike. "Here," Gerdur said and handed her a key, "for when you get back." She added and smiled. "Where is…" E'hla stopped her self from saying something she would regret. "Who are you looking for?" Gerdur asked, and placed her hand on her hip, eyeing the elf up and down. E'hla fiddled with a strand of hair while looking to the ground. "I was hoping I would find Ralof before I left." She lied. Gerdur tilted her head and asked:" Why, are you interested in my brother?" She laughed, almost mockingly, but not for long. "I want to thank him for saving my life yesterday." E'hla said calmly with a slight frown on her face. Gerdur put her hands up in front of her and mumbled:" Ok, ok, no need to get all sentimental" before she turned and walked to fetch her brother.

E'hla sat down on a tree stump overlooking the river. "You wanted to see me?" Ralof stood behind her, looking down on her. She turned around to face him, and said:" Yes. I wanted to…" She stopped herself, and stood up. "I wanted to thank you, for saving my life." She had been looking at his feet while she said it, but as soon as she finished her sentence, her gaze met his. He smiled, and gave her a pat on her shoulder while saying:" We saved each other." He barely got to finish his sentence before she had wrapped her arms around his neck in a friendly hug. He didn't expect this from her, but after a few seconds to collect himself, he wrapped his arms around her waist in return. "I hope we meet again, Ralof." She said and released her grip, and smiled at him before she picked up her bag and left for Whiterun.

The news from Helgen had beaten her to Whiterun. The guards at the main gate stopped her, and demanded an explanation of why she had come. "I have new about the dragon attack at Helgen" She said and looked at the man who had stopped her. "Fine, but we'll be keeping an eye on you." He had answered before opening the main gate. When she entered the city she stumbled upon a heated argument between an Imperial soldier and a blacksmith. The soldier demanded more weapons for the troops, and the blacksmith replied it was not possible to make all those weapons alone. She also told the soldier to suck up his pride and go talk to Eorlund. E'hla chose to press pass them, and followed the path up towards the market.

Her eyes swept over the market stands while she walked passed them, but nothing was of interest. Not yet anyways. She kept on walking up the stairs, and past a priest of Talos, and up the stairs to Dragonsreach, the Jarl's place. She pressed on, past a few maids and guards. At the top of the stairs a Dunmer dressed in fine leather armor stopped her. "The Jarl is not taking visitors whit the dragon's about, state your business or leave." She said in a growling voice. E'hla sighed silently and replied:" I'm here with news from Helgen, I was there." The Dunmer lady snorted and muttered:" That explains why the guards let you in to begin with."

"My Jarl," Ireleth said and turned to her superior, "This girl says she survived Helgen." She added and turned to face E'hla again. "So you saw the dragon with your own eyes?" The Jarl asked and sat up on his throne. "Yes…" E'hla began, but paused herself. "Helgen was destroyed. The last I saw was it heading this way." She finished. He nodded at her every word, and when she finished talking he exclaimed:" By Ysmir, you were right, Ireleth." The Dunmer shook her head and replied:" Of course, my Jarl. Have I ever failed you?" The talk between the Jarl, his housecarl and his steward proceeded for a couple more minutes, before he dismissed them both. "Well done, traveler. You sought me out, and on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a great service, and I won't forget it any time soon." He stopped and stood up. "Let's go and talk to Farengar, my court wizard. He's been working with this kind of things for many years now, and he has requested some help in his dragon research. "The old man walked to one of the side rooms, and E'hla followed him like a love struck puppy.

Farengar was standing over his alchemy table when they entered his quarters. "Farengar," The Jarl said, "I've found someone willing to help you with your dragon research. You should fill her in on what you need." The wizard turned around and put his arms across his chest. "So the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me?" He said with a disapproving look in his eye, "He must be referring to the Dragonstone." He added. "Dragonstone?" She asked and looked at him with her head slightly tilted to one side. "Yes, the Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow. I need someone to fetch it for me." He explained. "Ok, sounds simple enough." She mumbled to herself. "How do I get to this… Bleak Falls Barrow?" She asked, figured it would be best to just get done with it all, so she could get moving. "Up the path to the northeast when you've crossed the river from Riverwood." He said with a slight grin on his face. He apparently knew something she did not. "What can I be awaiting inside?" She asked and raised one eyebrow. "Oh, nothing big. Perhaps some skeevers, maybe a couple of frostbite spiders." He told her, as if it was most natural.

She had started on the short climb back up to Riverwood. Her thoughts were running through her head, but she concluded in one thing. She had to bring someone with her to the Barrows. There was this look in Farengar's eyes that unsettled her. As if he held something back from her. Her first thought was to ask Ralof to come with her, but then she remembered what he had said. He was going to stay there for the night, then head to Windhelm. Maybe she could ask Faendal. He seemed willing and friendly towards her earlier.

"Faendal," She said as she walked over to the bosmer, "Can you assist me in something?" She added. The slender bosmer turned with smile and replied:" What can I do for you?" She smiled at him and said: "I need to retrieve something from Bleak Falls Barrow, and I really need help… I'll even pay you." She said, afraid he would refuse. Everyone in this town seemed to be frightened even by the name of that place. He looked at her with dismay, but nodded. "Okay, I will come with you, just promise me we'll get out alive." He said and chuckled.

The place gave her chills. They had encountered a couple of bandits on the way up there, and a few more were camping outside the Barrows. The two archers creeping around in the pale snow quickly dispatched them all. "How did a Dunmer like you become so talented with a bow?" Faendal asked crouching up behind a huge boulder. E'hla gave him a sharp look, and muttered:" By shooting questioning fools like you." He seemed a bit surprised over her reaction. It was not like her to get pissed over such a minor thing. "Sorry." She said and turned to face him, and he nodded at her as if it was ok and out of this world.

They entered the Barrows, and E'hla crouched forward with silent steps. She stopped and put a hand of Faendal's shoulder to stop him as soon as she heard the voices of a male and a female. They were having a heated argument involving a guy named Arvel. She told Faendal to wait there, while she snuck around the fallen pillars to get a clear shot. E'hla looked around, and tip toed her way over several dead skeevers. She pulled out an arrow from her quiver, and readied the arrow. It pierced its mark with deadly precision. The male bandit died in an instant, and the death of her partner made the female bandit disoriented enough for E'hla to fire another arrow, which pierced the woman's heart. E'hla stood up and called out for Faendal to come to her. They searched through the belongings of the bandits, and picked up anything of value.

The two of them walked deeper and deeper into the Barrows, and from time to time thy encountered a skeever or two, nothing they couldn't handle. As they had gone through the cold and murky catacombs, cobweb started to appear on the walls and in the ceiling. "I don't like the looks of this" Faendal mumbled to himself, and E'hla turned her head towards him. She agreed, she surely didn't like the looks of this. They heard a faint cry for help, and they followed his voice deeper into the darkness.

"Is anyone there, can somebody hear me?" This time they could hear him clearly, so they had to be close. E'hla looked around, and saw a hole in the stonewall covered with a thick spider web. She grabbed her sword and gave it a couple of swings at the web, before it gave away. Now they could see the Dunmer who had been calling out for help, trapped in cobweb on the other side of the room. As they made their way to him, a huge frostbite spider descended from the ceiling. E'hla let out a short gasp, and took a couple of frantic steps backwards. She readied arrow after arrow, and shot at the spider with all she was good for. Faendal was doing the same thing from the other side of the enormous spider. It finally collapsed on the stone floor after sending a huge portion of its poison straight for E'hla's face. She grunted in pain and sunk to her knees, dropping her bow, franticly trying to wipe it away with her gauntlets. Faendal walked over to her to give her a hand. She picked up her bow, and smiled at him. They went over to the trapped Dunmer. "Do you know where I can find the golden claw?" She asked him. His eyes enlightened by the name of the artifact. "Yes, I have it here. I know how the whole thing fits together, how the claw solved the puzzle to the hall of storied, I know it all." He exclaimed. E'hla gave Faendal a quick look before she said:" Then give it to us." The Dunmer, who had to be Arvel, laughed at her, "You'll have to cut me down first." He said. She sighed. "I don't trust you, Arvel." She said and looked him straight in the eye. "How do you know my name?" He said, looking quite scared. She grinned at his reaction, and said: "Your friends told me." Faendal seemed equally as surprised as Arvel at this point. E'hla reached for her dagger and walked up close to the Dunmer. "I can just kill you right now, and take the claw." She said, and that was exactly what she did. Her dagger sliced through the Dunmer's throat. She cut the body down from the web, and searched his satchel. "Here it is" She said and pulled out the huge gold claw. The claw itself had three markings in the palm of it, a bear, a moth and an owl. "Why did you do that?" He asked her. She stood up and looked at him, "He could not be trusted" She said and placed the claw in her own sack.

"We better be careful around these burial stones." Faendal said as his dark eyes wandered upon the coffins. As they pressed on, chills went down her spine. The place gave her a feeling of being trapped, lost and forgotten. Everything in here was either dead or dying. She pulled out an arrow from her quiver and rested it on her bow, so she would have one ready, just in case. "E'hla…" He said silenced, and took a brief pause before he added: "Why did you kill that Dunmer? I mean… how could you know we could not trust him?" He sounded confused. "You remember those two bandits we encountered? They worked for him, there is no point of …-" She stopped and crouched down as soon as he heard the cracking of bones. Her eyes widened and she almost held her breath as she tried to make out where the sound came from. Faendal on the other hand walked past her, and straight towards an awakening draugr. "Kynareth save us" He gasped and stumbled backwards as the grunting, undead Nord walked towards him with a raised battleaxe. E'hla released the grip of her arrow, and it pierced it's mark. The rotten skin and bones of the draugr's body made it even easier to deal a lot of damage in one shot. Faendal got to his feet and bashed his bow towards its head, which miraculously was enough for it to drop dead. "Watch where you're going" She hissed at him through clenched teeth. She had not come all the way up to this crypt to end up as draugr dinner.

They fought their way through the crypt, encountering both skeevers and more draugr on their way. Finally they got to what looked like the inner sanctum of the barrows. "Now would you look at that," he said while looking around. She let her eyes run all over the place with only one question in her head; Where was this god forsaken Dragonstone? She walked up the ancient steps towards a plateau with a sarcophagus, and as she got closer she could hear distant voices growing stronger and drawing closer. She looked around, and caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye, and turned to face it. A huge stonewall with carvings everywhere. The chanting voices came from that wall. She turned to look over her shoulder to see what Faendal was doing. He was studying one of the collapsed columns and following the carvings with his finger. E'hla walked closer to the chanting wall, and for each step her vision got more and more blurry. She gasped for air as something within her exploded in an adrenalin rush, and she turned around to where she had last seen Faendal.

The coffin lid slipped off, and a higher ranked draugr exited his resting place. E'hla froze and just stared emptily before her. Faendal had heard the coffin lid fall down, and he was now on his way up to the plateau, and he stood now face to face with the draugr. "Move!" he hissed at E'hla as the draugr made his move towards her with his weapon. She couldn't, she simply couldn't, and if it hadn't been for Faendal's fast reactions, she would have been decapitated. He dove forward and snatched her with him. She hit the ground with a thud and the air was forced out of her lungs. The draugr lowered his weapon and inhaled, before he exhaled in a shout. The shout echoed through out the cave, and pushed them both several feet backwards.

They had to use all their strength to bring down the draugr, but eventually he fell to his knees. In pure rage E'hla kicked his head so hard it severed from the rest of his body. Faendal just stood there, panting, and watched the head roll off the plateau. "Are you alright?" He asked, and walked over to her. She turned to face him and slowly nodded. She walked over to the draugr's body, and searched it for valuables. She pulled out an ancient stone tablet with markings similar to the stonewall behind them. There was no doubt, this was the Dragonstone Farengar had sent her here to get. "This is it…"She mumbled to herself before she rose up, and added: "Let's get out of here," and turned towards Faendal with a smile.

When finally outside, they made camp. It had been a day full of trials and near-death moments, but they were both still very much alive. "I would never have made it today, if not for you," She said and stared distantly into the fire before them. After a brief moment she added: "Thank you." And this time she turned her head towards him, and looked him straight in the eye. He smiled and said:" You're welcome." She rose up and stretched out, and rolled out her bedroll beside the fire. She had not plans of sleeping; she just wanted to sit on something that was not snow covered. E'hla looked through her sack, and pulled out a big coin purse. "As promised," She said, and tossed it in Faendal's lap. He looked dazed and opened the purse, so see it filled to the rim with gold. "I… I can't take all this." He said and looked at her. She chuckled and said: "Of course you can, you've earned every septim." A big smile spread across his face, and he replied: "Just ask if you need my help again." She nodded at him, and rose up, packed her stuff and looked over her shoulder. "I'll see you later, Faendal. Take care." She said, and walked away.

It was probably rude to just leave him to fend for himself, but she had seen what he was capable of. She was sure he would manage to get home on his own. For now she had to get back to Farengar with the Dragonstone. She followed the river back to Riverwood, and entered the trader. "But one of us has to do something!" Camilla shouted at her brother. "No, it's too dangerous, I'm not letting you go after it." He replied. "What's going on here?" She asked and looked at them both. Lucan, the storeowner cleared his throat. "I don't know what you heard… but we had a… "He paused and sighed before the continued: "A bit of a break in. The thieves were only after one thing." She looked carelessly at him, and said: "I was hoping I could trade some things with you, but you're obviously too busy fighting…" The shopkeeper was stunned by her rudeness, but retorted:" We still have plenty of good to offer, what sort of trade were you thinking of?" He said after a brief moment to collect his thoughts. "What can you give me for this?" She said and put the heavy, golden claw on the counter. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped a little. "How did you find this?" He asked in a silenced, mumbling voice. "Does it matter, are you interested or not?" She asked and raised one eyebrow. "Of course I'm interested, this is the claw the thieves stole… this is my golden claw!" he exclaimed, and pulled up a coin purse. "Here, please, take this in exchange." He said, almost whimpering. She smiled, and took the purse. "Surely you can do better than that…"She muttered resting both her hand on the counter. "But… "He said and looked a bit worried before he added: "Fine, but this is all I have." He pulled up another coin purse, this time a much bigger one, full of septims. "This is all I have, please," the man pleaded. She weighted the two purses in her hands before she nodded slowly. "Deal, the claw is yours." She said and put the coins in her sack, and walked out of the store. Now onto the business at hand, returning the Dragonstone to Farengar.


	3. Chapter 3, The Western Watchtower

"Here's your Dragonstone" She hissed and dropped the old stone tablet on Farengar's desk. "Be careful!" He exclaimed and jumped from his seat in a desperate attempt to save the tablet from falling. Ireleth came running into the wizard's quarters, panting: "Farengar, you must come at once, a dragon has been sighted nearby!" then she took a brief pause and continued: "You should come too," she said and looked at E'hla.

The two dark elves and the nord trotted up to the second floor, where the jarl was waiting for them. "My Jarl, what should we do?" Ireleth asked, panting slightly. The Jarl stroked his beard and released a thinking hum. "I will not stand idly by while a dragon threatens my people" he mumbled to himself before he added: "Gather your men, Ireleth. Show this dragon it's not welcome in Whiterun." Ireleth took a brief bow and yelled at her men to meet her by the city gates. The jarl turned towards E'hla. "You have done me a great favor, and I will not forget it." He took a short pause and his eyes got a softer appearance before he continued: "But it seems we need your help again. You survived Helgen; you have more experience with dragons than anyone here. Please, E'hla, meet up with Ireleth." She looked at him, and she wanted to refuse, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to say no to the old man. E'hla nodded before she turned away and ran to meet up with his housecarl.

When they reached the western watchtower everything was destroyed. The smell of burnt flesh got to her like a punch in the face. It had been a long time since she had felt anything but anger, but now standing there, she felt just simply miserable. Ireleth pep talked her men into showing no mercy, and to fight with every fiber of their body. The housecarl showed no signs of fear as she shouted: "Here he comes again, boys!" And extended an arm I the direction of the roaring dragon. E'hla retreated into the ruins of the watchtower. The only experience she had with dragons is to run away and hide. She reached for her bow, and took an arrow out from her quiver. E'hla walked up the crumbled steps to a huge hole in the wall. Ever since Bleak Falls Barrow she had felt odd, like her skin didn't fit her anymore, like something lurked underneath just waiting for the right moment to burst out and destroy everything in her path.

She took aim at the landed dragon and released her grip on the shaft. The arrow flew forward at incredible speed before it embedded itself in the dragon's eye. The guards on the ground encircled the giant creature, and went at it with everything they had. The mighty beast roared over and over again, tossing its head from side to side to push away the guards, whilst breathing fire all around itself. E'hla lowered her bow and looked almost worried for a brief second. It's dying, she thought and jumped out from the hole on the wall and tumbled as she hit the ground with a huff. She could sense something in the dying dragon, it was calling for her. She walked over to the dead dragon with hesitating steps. She heard Ireleth yell something at her men, but she couldn't make out what. She pulled out one of her arrows from the dragon's head, and placed it back in her quiver before she walked over to Ireleth. "You should head back to Dragonsreach, and inform the Jarl of what happened here," the Dunmer housecarl ordered. E'hla just nodded in return, but she had no intentions of going back to Whiterun, not yet.

She saddled her horse, which was posted just outside of Whiterun. She stood there thinking about what had happened the last few days, how she had been told to run around like a servant. She_ despised _it. This was nothing like home; everything was different, too different. E'hla sighed before mounting her horse and pulled on the reins to make the steed turn. She hadn't gotten far before she saw the three Nords fighting a giant, and she halted her horse. It seemed like they had everything under control, but she still drew her bow and shot four rapid arrows, aiming for the giant. As her last arrow hit its mark, the giant fell to its knees and was quickly ended by the big male Nord. E'hla pushed on the sides of her mount and he started walking again, as if nothing had happened. A redheaded female Nord came running up to them, placing her bow on her back as she did so. "You handle yourself well. What's your name, elf?" She asked and placed a hand on her hip when she stopped. E'hla looked down on her with a cocked eyebrow before answering:" I'm E'hla, and who are you?" The redhead chuckled, and told her that her name was Aela, and she was here with her shield-siblings. "What's a shield-sibling"? E'hla asked and tilted her head; now letting the reins hang loose over the steeds mane. "An outsider, eh?" The redhead asked, before going on without awaiting her answer: "We're members of the Companions, perhaps you've heard of us?" E'hla slowly nodded, and looked at the three Nords before her. "Judging by your skill, we could make a decent shield-sister out of you. You should consider joining us," Aela said before patting the male Nord on a shoulder with a brief smile. "If you decide to walk up on my offer, go talk to Kodlak Whitemane up in Jorrvaskr. We need people like you." She said before following her shield-siblings up towards the main gate of Whiterun. "One does _one_ good deed for the day, and people come to demand even more…" She mumbled to herself, and pushed the horse to a steady trot.


	4. Chapter 4, Ralof

E'hla had spent the last two days on the road, heading south towards Falkreath. She had encountered several beasts of the wild, but nothing she couldn't handle. She didn't want to spend another night out here, so she decided to push on as dusk approached with silent steps. The wind howled through the surrounding woods, and every gust of wind coming their way startled her horse. She pulled her hood over her head and halfway down her face before she pushed on the horse to speed up. They trotted through the last part of woods before they got to the gates of Falkreath. She halted her horse just inside of the city gate and dismounted the animal before she tied the reins to a post at the back of Dead man's drink. "I'll be back" She whispered to the horse and stroked the animal's forehead with a calm hand.

After buying some food from the innkeeper she left town. As she walked alongside the crippled road she read through the notes she had managed to hide away since she got captured in that imperial ambush. She memorized the passphrase and kept walking 'till she stood before the black door. "What is the music of life"? The door asked, awaiting her reply. She replied a brief, but composed:" Silence, my brother," and allowed herself to grin when the door opened and said: "Welcome home."

As she walked into the bowels of the sanctuary a blonde woman stopped her. "What is your business here?" She asked in a harsh voice, not seeming too pleased about a stranger walking into their sanctuary. E'hla pulled down her hood to reveal her face for her fellow assassin, and presented the notes from her old _home_ in Cyrodiil. The woman's eyes flew up when she realized who was standing in front of her. "Pardon me, I did not know…" She said, but E'hla put up a hand to make her stop, and interrupted: "I expected no less of you, Astrid. After all you're the leader of this sanctuary. You wouldn't do you job if you were to let anyone pass through here." The Nord seemed please with her answer and nodded as a greeting gesture. "Welcome to our sanctuary, sister." She said and E'hla nodded thankfully in return and without further ado she pressed on past Astrid.

She walked through the sanctuary, and introduced herself to her new family. Opinions about her presence seemed to be divided. A few of the assassins seemed to want her dead, but most of them greeted her heartily. "Got your first contract yet, sister?" A dark, masculine voice broke through her thoughts, and she turned to face the man causing the disturbance. "No," she replied, thinking there was no need to sugarcoat it. "I'm E'hla" She added and looked the Redguard dead in the eye. The man chuckled and shook his head while saying: "Well, I just happen to have some jobs available if you're interested." She tilted her head a little before replying: "I'm listening," and cocked an eyebrow slightly. He filled her in on the contracts, and she departed with a brief goodbye. She didn't like this brotherhood one bit. They had abandoned the tenets, and now this wretched woman _pretended_ to be the leader. As if she knew anything. _Pfft, they're nothing but fools, _she though as she left the sanctuary.

Her first contract was in somewhere close to Windhelm, so she figured she would travel back to Whiterun, and rest up for a day or two before taking care of business. She walked back up the stony path towards Falkreath city, where her horse was tethered, and ready to go back home. _Hopefully I'll reach Riverwood before sundown,_ she thought to herself while she mounted the animal once more. Setting off in a steady trot, she made way for the other settlement. As dusk approached, she rode through Helgen lying in ruin from the dragon attack. Her eyes flew over the place as she passed. When she spotted the ruin of Bleak Falls Barrow atop the mountain, she pushed the horse into a canter. The playful auroras was dancing across the sky that night, being the only source of light beside the crescent moon hiding behind the pine trees. She pulled on the reins as she passed the gates of Riverwood, halting the steed. "We'll stay here tonight," she said softly and stroked the coarse mane of the horse underneath her. She dismounted him, and removed the saddle and bridle, placing it on a nearby railing.

As she made her way towards the inn, she stopped in her tracks. _Gerdur_, she thought and rummaged through her pack before embedding the key into the palm of her hand. She walked up between the trader and the inn, and up towards Gerdur's house. When she reached the door, she placed the key into the keyhole and turned it, but just for good measures she knocked lightly on the wooden door before entering. She closed the door behind her, trying to keep quiet. "Ralof?" She asked silenced at the familiar form before her. The bigger Nord turn around to face her, and his eyes lit up when he recognized whom she was. "What brings you here?" He asked, perhaps a bit too eager for his own best. She smiled at him before replying: "I was hoping I could stay here for the night." She removed the hood from her head, and looked him dead in the eye. "Your eyes," he muttered and looked quite stunned by what he saw. "What about them?" She asked and blinked at him while tilting her head. "I.. I'm sorry," he stopped himself and ran a hand through his hair. "I have never seen a Dunmer with blue eyes before," he added and looked at her. She motioned a silent nod, and didn't understand why it came as a surprise now. After all, they had spent some time together before, and he didn't seem to care then. "How could I have missed that in Helgen?" he said, mostly to himself before he shook his head. She just stood there looking around the house, feeling quite awkward. "I'm only half Dunmer," she mumbled and looked down into the fire once more. He startled and muttered a short:" What?" in return tilting his head. "My mother is Dunmer, and my father is a Nord. I was born in Cheydinhal, and I haven't seen him since my fifth winter." Her voice was monotone and emotionless, as if she was reading from a book. Ralof just sat there all quiet for several long minutes before he again opened his mouth:" I'm sorry to hear that, E'hla." She looked at him with a brief smile. He remembered my name, she though and ran a hand through her hair before she tied it in a knot at the back of her head with the cotton band she had tied around her wrist. She crossed her legs and fiddled with a loose lock of hair.

"Can I stay here tonight, or not?" She asked and looked at the man before her, who suddenly snapped out of his own thoughts and smiled at her. "Of course, friend. Make yourself at home," he replied and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "So, what brings you to Riverwood?" He asked as he dumped down onto one of the chairs near the fireplace. She placed herself on the chair opposing him before she replied:" I have business to attend to in Windhelm," and stared carelessly into the fire before them. He looked at her as if he wanted her to continue to talk, and she did. "When we got out of Helgen, you said I should go talk to Ulfric about joining the rebellion. Did you really mean that?" She asked, and turned her head towards him with a questioning frown on her face. He raised his eyebrows before he broke out laughing. "Of course I did, The Rebellion will always need able fighters, and I've seen what you can do. I'd vouch for you," he explained. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again before looking away. "But I'm not a Nord," she whispered and turned her gaze towards him again. "Do you really think he'll have me, a Dunmer, fight for his cause?" she said and fiddled with the edge of her tunic for a short moment.

They had spent the last hour talking, but eventually she said she was tired, and needed some sleep. She took off everything but her soft cotton undershirt and underwear, and crawled under the furs on the bed Ralof had showed her. The furs were chill, and she pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself shivering a little. The blonde Nord walked over to the fireplace and tossed in a couple new pieces of wood, just to make sure the fire would continue to burn throughout the night. When he was done, he looked over at her and narrowed his eyebrow at the sight before him. All he saw was the little bundle underneath the furs, slightly shivering. He walked over to the side of her bed. Her back was turned to him, but she knew he was there anyways. He's just going to his own bed, she thought and closed her eyes trying to get her thoughts over to something else from the chill surroundings. She had never been a person to freeze easily, but only wearing a thin shirt and some panties took its toll. "Are you cold?" He asked, almost whispering. His voice made her heart skip a beat. She had never heard him talk like this before, so caring, so tender. She only nodded, still with her back towards him. The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a faint grin before he sat down on the edge of her bed. He placed a hand on what he figured would be her shoulder, and started rubbing it before he stood up. "I…" he started before he ran a slightly nervous hand through his hair. "I could keep you warm tonight," he finished and braced himself for a solid scolding. It never came. She simply made place for him on the small bunk, and turned around so she could actually see him. "That… is very kind of you," She replied and gave him a smile. He started to undo his armor, and kicked off his boots. Wearing only his pants he crawled underneath the furs, which covered her shivering body. She nuzzled against him, and in return to her motion he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer. He could hear her sigh, feeling relieved, as she rested her forehead to his chest. "Good night," she whispered and closed her eyes. He let a hand run down her back, and smiled when he heard her sigh lightly.

He had awoken long before her the next morning. She furrowed her brows at his touch, and did an attempt to open her eyes, but they just wouldn't cooperate. "Good morning," he whispered and brushed away some of her black hair covering her face. She smiled and nuzzled against him, resting her forehead on his chest. "Are you hungry?" He asked in a hushed tone, to not wake up the rest of the house. She nodded and mumbled a short _mhmm_, still with closed eyes. He smiled, and pulled away the furs before he stood up from the bed and covered her body with the furs he had used. She smiled and curled into a tiny grey ball where only her head was visible to the world around her. He walked over to the fire pit, and found a pot and started preparing breakfast for the two of them. The smell of food spread through the entire house, and it made her stomach grumble. She stretched out underneath he covers, before propping herself up on her elbows. She studied him, and every move he made, made her smile. She rolled over to her side, and put her feet to the floor and stood up. He turned around when he heard what she was doing, and he walked over to her in long strides. She had already gotten half across the room when she was caught in his arms. "But, I can't to help," she murmured, but he didn't listen. "Go back to bed and warm yourself," he said with a smile before he picked her up in his arms, and carried her back to the bed where they both had spent the night. He placed her carefully in the bed, and pulled the furs over her once more, still smiling.

When breakfast was done, he divided it in two, and put it on plates before he walked over to where E'hla was sitting, wrapped in furs like a tiny personal igloo. He handed her one of the plates and said: "Be careful, it's still hot," before he sat down beside her. She picked up the fork he had balanced on the edge of the plate and started eating. "This is really good," she mumbled through a mouthful of food and added:" You're a very good cook." He smiled at her and asked: "When do you have to go?" looking down at his own lap. She looked at him, and balanced the plate in her lap. "Soon," She mumbled and removed the knot from the band that held her hair away. Her long black hair fell down around her face and down her back. She had to run her fingers through it a couple of times to get rid of the few tangles she had, before she tied her hair back up in a bun. She looked at him with a tilted head, and she furrowed her brows. "What's wrong, Ralof?" She asked and placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. He just shook his head, and put on a fake smile before he replied:" Nothing, I was just thinking." She looked at him, and raised one eyebrow at his answer. "What is it, _really_?" She asked and looked him dead in the eyes, giving him no choice but to answer. He sighed and replied:" Will we ever speak again?" She replied with a smile and a confirming nod before she added:" Most certainly." She removed her hand, and got out of bed. "Besides, You are one of Ulfric's soldier boys. I am sure you'll be in Windhelm at some point. Next time you're there, try and find me," She said and gave him a pat on the shoulder before she gathered her armor and put it on.

When she was fully dressed, she turned around to face him, and smiled while she opened her arms as an invite to a hug. The much bigger Nord walked over to her, and pulled her close in a quite intimate and long lasting hug. "I'll see you in Windhelm then," he mumbled from above her head. She just nodded with a smile and let go of him. She turned around and walked towards the door. She stopped by the door for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but she kept quiet and walked out of Gerdur's house. Once outside she let out a sigh of relief, and started walking towards where she had tied up her horse the night before. She saddled the horse, and mounted it before she rode off for Windhelm. Just outside of Riverwood she decided she should follow the river to get to Windhelm. She pushed on her horse, and kept it at a steady trot until they had reached the bottom of the falls.


End file.
